Balloon Ball Winder

Do you have a few skeins of yarn that needs rewinding, but it doesn’t justify the cost of a mechanical ball winder? Here is a simple manual version. You will need:


* A package of small balloons. The ones I used were marketed as water balloons.
* Your yarn.
* A pair of scissors.
* A bit of time and patience.

1. Blow up the balloon so it is about the size of a small egg.

2. Tie the end.

3. Loop the end of your yarn around the end of the balloon. (It is not necessary to tie it.)

4. Wind the yarn around the balloon.

5. Vary your direction frequently, but do not cover the end of the balloon.


6. Wind all of the yarn onto the balloon, being careful to cover any places where the balloon shows through.
7. When you finish, the ball should appear solid, but the top of the balloon will still peak out.

8. Tuck the tail end of the yarn around the last section of windings so it will not come loose.

9. Pull up on the knot of the balloon and snip a small hole to let the air out.

10. Occasionally the balloon will pop, but it usually collapses slowly.

11. Remove the balloon and pull out the center thread.

12. Squeeze the yarn to reshape the ball.

13. Viola! Your own hand made center pull ball!

Second Shrug

I'm working on Ashley's shrug now. She's 5'6" and likes extra long sleeves. I'm making her shrug with the needles the pattern called for and am making each section 24-25" long (roughly 4 stripes plus the cuff). Her's is a tone-on-tone pink shrug, using two dyelots of the same Lion Brand Lt. Pink 101. One dyelot is considerable paler than the other so I'm making a striped shrug -- 3" cuffs (lt. pink), 5" stripe (darker pink), 2nd 5" stripe (lt. pink) etc.

Jenessa's Drop Stitch Shrug by Hazel Spencer

I am making shrugs for the 5 granddaughters for Christmas. I made the test version for Lala to see how the pattern worked. Lala picked the colors. Didn't she do a nice job? Pink cuffs and flecked main body. I think it's prettier than the picture that came with the instructions. (I'm not a doting grandma!! )
This is a nice pattern, easy to follow and very adaptable. I made Lala's smaller by using size 7 dpns and size 9 straight needles. To get the 3/4 length sleeves, I made each section (sleeve, back, 2nd sleeve) 14" long.
Here is the pattern as I found it on the website http://www.knitlist.com/99gift/shrug.htm


or http://www.hazelroselooms.com/project_files/Jenessa.pdf


A hot fashion accessory that used to be Gramma's bed jacket, but we won't tell them! I whipped this one out in a couple of evenings for my teen niece. It would probably be most acceptable in black or something sparkly! It's easy and fast and fits most teen girls through young adults. But it's adaptable by your gauge.
I used worsted weight yarn and size 8 dps and 10 straight needles. This pattern makes sleeves to just below the elbow, but you can make them any length. Measure your teen!
A little aside: If you are making this as a surprise gift and need to know, ask her her height. This is the same measurement as she is from fingertip to fingertip with her hands out at each side. Subtract 12 inches (length of two hands) and you have the length a wrist length shrug needs to be.
On the dps cast on 32 stitches evenly, place marker to mark first stitch.

Cuff: k2 p2 ribbing for 2 inches. (I stopped the ribbing and did two knit rows for the increase rows.)
Next row: increase evenly 8 stitches.
Next row: increase evenly 8 stitches.

Begin drop stitch thus:
Row 1: *yo k1* around.
Row 2: * drop yo, k1* around. Repeat these two rows ending with row 2 until piece measures 12 inches from CO (or measurement needed for your sleeve length) continue working drop stitch thus:
Row 1: *yo, k1* to marker, turn.
Row 2: *drop yo, p1*
Repeat these two rows for 20 inches. (Change to straight needles as soon as your work flattens enough. You don't have to change needles but it's less awkward) At end of 20 inches knit back onto dps and join in a tube again knitting sleeve length to match first. (Remember that you won't be purling anymore!)
1st decrease: knit 2 together 8 times evenly
2nd decrease: knit 2 together 8 times evenly

Cuff: k2 p2 for 2 inches,
Bind Off.
Tuck in ends.

You're done.

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This pattern is Copyright © Hazel Spencer 1999 all rights reserved. E-mail Dorleska@tds.net

I found out what I was doing wrong!!!!
I had the wrong yarn.
I finished the "Toad Suck Tie" better known now as the "T0ad Suck Belt." It has a uniform dimension of 3" across from square end to pointy end. Hm... This just isn't right. Pat did try it on and tied it. He said the cotton yarn wasn't working. It wasn't slippery enough for the knot to slide into position against his neck.
So we went looking for slippery yarn at Yarn Heaven, in Arlington, Texas. I thought silk, but the women at the store found us a beautiful, stretchy shiny SOCK yarn called Opal. Pat chose Barney purple. He knows it will compete wonderfully with Spongebob Squarepants.
I always thought sock yarn was the same as fingering yarn. No way. This yarn is tiny, tiny. And lo, and behold. When I went back to the Toad Rock Tie pattern, what does she ask for? Opal Sock Yarn.
14 stitches in fingering yarn on size 1 needles came out about 3" wide.
13 stitches in Opal sock yarn on size 1 needles is about 1" wide. Hm... there's a clue here.
I'm back to the Toad Rock Tie pattern. Bet it works now.

Toad Suck Tie -- make that Belt

The tie did not get made for Father's Day. It has had about 3 different incarnations. After Pat and I got to talking about how thick the Toad Rock Tie would be when finished and tied into a knot, I gave up on that pattern and frogged back to the beginning -- on the Friday before Father's Day.

The Toad Rock Tie is still my inspiration, but it is knitted in the round, giving the entire tie a double thickness of fabric. I'm knitting with sport-weight yarn. That means the bottom of the tie is two thicknesses of sport-weight and so is the top. Who knows how many layers of fabric will be wound around in the knot. I'm afraid Pat would never be able to lower his head because of the size of the knot.

SO... as I said, the Toad Rock Tie is my inspiration, but I'm designing the Toad Suck Tie, named for one of Pat's favorite places, Toad Suck, Arkansas. This tie is a single thickness of garter stitch 14 stitches wide. After I reach 90 cm. I'll go back to the Toad Rock pattern and see how Celeste created the swell for the pointed end of the tie. I'll borrow from her and adjust a bit here, change a a bit there, and finish the Toad Suck Tie. Hopefully, by July 4.

Toad Rock Tie

Where Pat works, supervisors must wear a tie. He and another man are vying for most outrageous ties. Fabian may be ahead on points. He wears Spongebob Squarepants, Homer Simpson and other cartoon characters, but Pat will have the ONLY hand knit tie.

Celeste from Knitting Beyond the Hebrides was kind enough to share her pattern with me. http://www.knittingbeyondthehebrides.org/color.html I'm making it of Omega's Sinfonia yarn (100% cotton, made in Mexico). It is a varigated blue in color. The yarn is sport weight and resembles thick embroidery thread. I have a bit of trouble with the yarn splitting as I knit with size 1 needles. If the needles were larger, it probably wouldn't have the problem. Two weeks to go -- wow! Did you know neckties are about five feet long???? That's a lot of little tiny stitches!

I Love KansasKnits!

I was trying to find a chat group that links Kansas knitters, but nothing exists. The only all state group never got off the ground. So, why not? I've started a knitting group. Here's hoping someone joins!!